Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AXTA scored 52.5, CTVA scored 42.6 — AXTA leads.
Compare another set
AXTA
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
52.5
$32.63 · $7.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
9.9
AXTA leads
CTVA
Corteva, Inc.
Agricultural Inputs · Quality-Growth
42.6
$13.24 · $8.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestCTVA8.2x
Fastest growthCTVA+2.9%
Strongest balance sheetCTVA0.57
Highest qualityAXTA65 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueCTVA-71%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AXTA
stronger →← stronger
CTVA
65
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
63
33
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
42
68
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
29
AXTA is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AXTA
CTVA
$488mC
FCF
$2.0bB
-2.6%D+
Rev
+2.9%C
1.19C
D/E
0.57C+
20.0xB
P/E
8.2xA
2.04C
PEG
0.62A-
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AXTA
CTVA
10% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
71% below
~8%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
decline
-12%
1-yr DCF upside
+243%
-9%
5-yr DCF upside
+242%
-4%
10-yr DCF upside
+240%
These two disagree on this pair: the Value pillar ranks cheapness against sector peers, while price-vs-fair-value is an absolute read. A name can be the better value in its sector and still the dearer one on cash flows.
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AXTA
Why this score
Buying back stock
CTVA
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
AXTAAxalta Coating Systems Ltd.
Specialty Chemicals · $32.63 · beta 1.26
Why now
Specialty Chemicals · market cap $7.0b. 15% off the 52-week high of $38.61. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $39.27 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 132% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
CTVACorteva, Inc.
Agricultural Inputs · $13.24
Why now
Agricultural Inputs · market cap $8.8b. 9% off the 52-week high of $14.62. PEG 0.62 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $17.28 (implying +31% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($1.2b) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
Net margin 2.8% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AXTA and CTVA diverge
On the headline score the gap is 9.9 points in favor of AXTA. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueAXTA 67.5 · CTVA 29.5AXTA +38.0
GrowthAXTA 33.1 · CTVA 41.9CTVA +8.8
QualityAXTA 64.6 · CTVA 62.8level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is AXTA or CTVA the better stock?
AXTA scores higher: AXTA 52.5, CTVA 42.6 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do AXTA and CTVA differ most?
The widest gap is value, where AXTA leads by 38 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are AXTA and CTVA scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.